Open Your Eyes
by coveredinbees14
Summary: A one-shot involving Skittery and the possibility of friendship. Written for Emador. Rated K for swearing.


The lodging house was filled to overflowing following the official end to the strike and Skittery moved from stoop to the bunkroom, unsure of where he fit in during the celebration. Glum and dumb, that's what they called him. None of them understood the desire to be alone. They thought it was weird and unnatural. Wanting to be alone meant you were a target, easy pickings for the nearest bull or rival gang or any busybody who came along.

He brightened a little when he saw Tumbler surrounded by a group of younger newsies. They were circling Tumbler with looks of awe on their faces as he held up a worn but decent looking slingshot.

"Where'd you get that?" Skittery asked in a friendly manner. Tumbler had just secured a marble in the band and had his sights set on one of the mugs that hung on the opposite wall.

"Some girl gave it to me," Tumbler answered. He shut one eye to concentrate on his aim.

"Which girl?" Skittery continued. There were a few female newsies there that night.

"The one on the roof," Tumbler replied as he let the marble fly. It missed the mug by at least a foot and bounced off the wall to the floor. Snipeshooter scrambled after it and moved to pocket it when he saw Skittery watching him and handed it over to Tumbler with a scowl.

As Tumbler took aim again Skittery moved on and felt his skin crawl as newsie after newsie bumped up against him while he struggled to make his way upstairs to the roof. Sometimes he felt like nails sprouted from his skin the moment anyone touched him. He needed relief and not until he was out in the open air was he able to take a deep breath and relax.

A girl was seated not far down from him on the wall that separated the lodging house roof from the bookshop next door. He figured she must have been the one to provide Tumbler with a new way of causing his fellow newsies injuries.

"I don't want company," Skittery grumbled as a greeting.

"Neither do I," the girl answered. "And I was here first."

"It's my lodging house," Skittery countered.

"You don't look much like Jack Kelly." The girl cocked her head to one side as she inspected Skittery. "So, mind telling me who you are, mystery man?"

"Maybe you oughta tell me who you are," Skittery answered.

"I asked first," the girl smiled.

"What are you, two years old?" Skittery asked with a scowl. He certainly wasn't in the mood to entertain some peculiar girl who'd interrupted his plan to spend the afternoon alone with his thoughts.

"Almost sixteen. How old are you?" She didn't seem the slightest bit perturbed by the way Skittery spoke to her.

"Forget it," Skittery muttered as he headed for the door back downstairs.

The girl hopped down and touched him gently on the arm. "Wait, please. I'm sorry." She spit on her hand and stuck it out. "I'm Tay."

Skittery hesitated for a moment. "Tay?"

She let her hand drop down to her side. "Yeah. You got a problem with that?"

"No, just never heard that one before," he explained. He held out his hand. "Skittery."

The girl tried not to laugh as she shook him by the hand. "I heard of you. You was one of the ones that went to Queens."

He couldn't remember having ever seen Tay before. There was nothing to distinguish her from any other girl newsie he'd ever met. "So you from Queens or somethin'?"

Tay's eyes shifted back and forth nervously and she gave him a weak grin. "Or something."

Skittery followed Tay's example as she slid down the wall until she was sitting on the ground, her knees drawn up in front of her. The sound of amusement drifted up from the open windows of the bunkroom and Skittery heard Tumbler's familiar laugh. Before long Tumbler burst through the door and scanned the rooftop for his friend.

"Skittery!" Tumbler exclaimed with a wide grin. "Can I borrow five cents?"

"Don't you already owe me ten cents?" Skittery asked, unable to maintain a serious tone as Tumbler smiled at him.

"That's her!" Tumbler pointed out excitedly as he waited. "She gave me the slingshot. Told me how to shoot it and everythin'."

"Bang up job," Skittery chuckled as he thought of Tumbler's earlier attempt. He rummaged through his pocket and placed a coin in Tumbler's outstretched hand.

"Thanks, Skitts!" Tumbler called over his shoulder as he headed back downstairs. "And thanks for the slingshot, lady!"

"Don't think I've ever been called a lady before," Tay laughed.

"You didn't have to do that," Skittery told her.

"I don't need it. Weren't even mine," Tay admitted. "It's nothin' to just make another one."

"You might have to, once the others find out about it you're gonna be up to your ears with all the little ones askin' for one," Skittery joked.

"I ain't exactly from here so theys gonna have to shout," Tay told him.

"Yeah I forgot," Skittery grinned. "Queens or somethin'."

The grin faded from his face as he put two and two together. The slingshot, something 'like' Queens, and the fact that she was clearly not anyone he'd ever seen before.

Tay sighed as she watched the realization dawn on his face. "Didn't take you as long as most."

Skittery drew a hand-rolled cigarette from his pocket and lit the end. "Brooklyn, huh?"

"Yep." Tay brushed off her skirt and made a move to stand. "Sorry 'bout givin' your brother that slingshot. I told him not to aim it at people, but…"

Skittery gestured for her to sit back down. "He ain't my brother. Just some kid I look out for sometimes."

Tay shifted from one foot to the other uneasily as she studied Skittery's face. He remained seated and waited to see what she would do next. After a few minutes Tay apparently decided he was safe enough to sit back down next to.

"Must be nice havin' someone looking up to you," Tay said thoughtfully as Skittery blew a stream of smoke into the sky.

The truth was Skittery had never thought of himself as someone worth looking up to. Taking care of Tumbler was just something he had always done.

"It's no big deal," Skittery said with a shrug. "I can't just let him get hurt or sick or anything."

Tay took the cigarette out of his hand. "Least you take care of each other. It ain't always like that."

Skittery decided to ask some questions of his own. "So, what's a girl from Brooklyn doing here?"

"Celebratin'. Same as you," she explained as she handed the cigarette back.

"That ain't exactly an answer," Skittery joked. A realization dawned on him. "You're not one of those kinda girls, are you?"

Tay laughed as his assumption. "One of the working girls? No, I just sell papes."

Skittery felt his cheeks grow red and an awkward silence fell between the two. At least Skittery felt it was awkward, he couldn't really tell what Tay was feeling. She didn't seem as brash or rough as some of the other girl newsies.

"You should give yourself more credit, you know," Tay told him. "It ain't easy lookin' out for yourself and someone else. Not a lotta kids willin' to do that."

"You tellin' me there ain't no one to look out for in Brooklyn?" Skittery asked with a mischievous smile.

Tay gave him a sidelong look before she broke into laughter. She nudged his shoulder in a friendly way. "That ain't what I meant and you know it."

"Lemme ask you somethin'. If you're from Brooklyn, how do you know so much 'bout Manhattan?," Skittery asked. He figured Tay was one of the infamous birds that traveled throughout the various boroughs spying and reporting back to Spot Conlon.

"I been here awhile. I was stayin' over at the Elizabeth home with the other girls but now-," Tay explained. The sound of a short, two-note whistle from the street below broke her concentration and Skittery saw her face pale. She wrapped her arms around her knees and pressed further back against the wall behind them.

"So who looks out for you?" Skittery asked with a knowing gaze.

Tay hesitated and stared out over the roofline as she answered, "No one. I don't need anyone."

"Well, if you ever decide different," Skittery began. The door to downstairs came open with a bang and Skittery looked up to see Spot standing there, glaring at Tay.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Spot asked. Tay stared at the ground in front of her. "You gone deaf or something?"

"No," Tay answered. She met Spot's eyes. "I heard."

"We was talking," Skittery interrupted but Spot didn't even look at him.

"Let's go," Spot said as he grabbed Tay's arm and yanked her to her feet. It took Skittery about half a second to figure out why she had been so unnerved earlier when she'd heard that signal.

"Hey," Skittery exclaimed as he stood. He was taller than Spot by enough to give him confidence that if anything happened he'd have at least half a chance.

"You got somethin' to say?" Spot asked with a smirk. His body language was casual but Skittery wasn't fooled into thinking that Spot was anything but ready and willing to beat him senseless.

Tay stepped between the two and placed her hands on Skittery's chest, pushing him back gently.

"He'll kill you," Tay said in a low voice. "Please listen to me and just go back to the party. Go take care of your friend."

"And who's gonna take care of you? Him?" Skittery said as he jerked his chin in Spot's direction. The next thing he knew Skittery was seated in the dirt, rubbing a newly sore jaw. As far as he could tell Spot hadn't moved an inch but the pain in his mouth said different.

"You're lucky we're in Kelly's house or I'd finish you right now," Spot told him with a challenging look.

Tay crouched in front of Skittery and glared back up at Spot over her shoulder. "Damn it, Spot. He was just being nice."

"I'm fine," Skittery muttered as he got back to his feet. Tay looked at him sympathetically and Skittery was beginning to understand why she was so secretive.

"Enough of this shit, I told you we're leaving," Spot cut in as he pulled Tay toward him. She tried to twist away but Spot whispered something to her that caused Tay to stop in her tracks.

"I'm sorry, Skittery," Tay told him. Her head dropped down as she followed Spot back downstairs.

Skittery suppressed the desire to go after her. As he thought about it he realized he'd just met her that night and he wasn't sure it was worth going up against Spot Conlon over some girl he'd only run into once. Still, he decided to ask around and see if anyone else had noticed her. After all, it wouldn't hurt to maybe consider looking after one more person.

* * *

Author's Note: I do not own Newsies. This story was written for Emador and although it's not exactly what I had in mind, hopefully she won't mind it :-) It's supposed to be happy and fluffy but then it soured at the end...or maybe the whole thing was sour, you tell me ;-) Anyway, reviews are welcome and appreciated and thank you for reading!


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